A local Army veteran was described this morning as "the face of Gov. Scott’s quest to purge our voter rolls.’’ Bill Internicola is a 91-year-old Davie retiree, born in Brooklyn and a lifelong Democrat and voter. He was targeted by the state as possibly a non-citizen, and Broward's elections supervisor advised him as such in a recent letter, telling him he had 30 days to prove his citizenship or he'd be stricken from the voter rolls.

Internicola served in World War II in the 75th infantry division of the U.S. Army, and won a Bronze Star for his actions as a medic in the Battle of the Bulge. He also was given the Legion of Honor for his service in France.

U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, and U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar, used the state snafu to illustrate what they said is a nefarious effort by Republican Gov. Rick Scott to purge the rolls of Democrats before the presidential election.

The state, as we told you recently, is on a mission to clean up the voter rolls, and has sent out lists of dead people, felons and non-citizens listed as active voters.

The congressmen said they and some of their congressional colleagues in Florida are circulating a letter to be sent to the governor asking that he "stop the voter purge immediately,'' Deutch said.

Hastings called it "dead wrong.''

"It’s sloppy, it’s a hurried voter purge and it could have major consequences for Florida’s election in November,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in Congress sent this letter stating his own concerns about the state "hunt'' for non-citizens.

Comments

Im soooooooooooo sorry the state is purging your voting base Hastings. Whatever will you rely on to win without the dead, illegal immigrant, and overall fraud vote?? I find it funny that the 91 year man's response to the state's claim isnt mentioned in this article while 2 elected democrats openly pounce on the governor.

First Republicans suppress the youth and poor vote by making it harder for those who are transitory to register. Than they make it onerous to be able to acquire drivers licenses or state ids that are required at polls which is onerous on elderly and poor. Then they purge thousands of legal living citizens off the registry for what ever reason they want.
This is the Republican Party in Florida, led by a corrupt criminal who bilked the State out of billions of dollars trying to hold onto their power. Republican minority in Florida holds onto power by suppressing our democracy and disenfranchising the electorate.

Military service does not automatically make you a US citizen. If he was born in another country and never applied for citizenship then he is not a citizen and is ineligible to vote in this country. If he was born in Brooklyn as he says then all he needs to do is provide a birth certificate.

There are many members of the military that aren't U.S. citizens. A good friend of mine was a German citizen but was in the U.S. Army. He had to get his American Citizenship before he could be stationed in Germany or he could have been drafted in the German Army. My father served in WWII in the Pacific he had non U.S. citizens serving with him in the U.S. Army. Two of those remained non U.S. citizens until they were in their 60's and yes I met them since they lived in the same town as my parents. So just because someone served in the U.S. military doesn't mean they are a U.S. citizen and just because they voted before doesn't mean they were eligible to vote!

The fact as to whether or not this voter is a citizen, a veteran or whatever is not an issue here. As the voter records DO NOT HAVE THIS INFORMATION in them. The state does not have that record easily at hand. Yes if Mr. Internicola is a citizen then he can vote. He just needs to show something that confirms that he is eligible to vote. Which I understand Mr Internicola has done and is now approved to vote. What is the big deal here. Much to do about nothing. I have no problem, if they send me a letter and ask for proof, I will gladly send them the proof. Oh I am a veteran also. And it is not hard to get a State Non-Drivers ID card if you do not have a driver's license. Try traveling on an airline and NOT having an id. They ask for proof with a picture ID every time you travel, but you do not see any big complaint about that. I say check the rolls to protect all legitimate Voters Rights and purge those who are illegal. Every legal voter should want their vote to count properly and not be diminished by illegal voters.

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About the authors

Broward County is an unusually rich territory for political news. The Broward Politics blog is devoted to the politicians, the activists, the parties, the policies, the issues, the elections - in the county and its communities.

ANTHONY MAN is the Sun Sentinel’s political writer. Concentrating on local political people, parties and trends, he also covers state and national politics from a South Florida perspective. He's coordinating the Broward Politics blog with contributions from reporters throughout the county. Before moving to the Broward political beat, he covered politics and Palm Beach County government for the Sun-Sentinel, including touch-screen voting and the Supervisor of Elections Office. He's also covered municipal, county, state, and federal elections and made repeated reporting trips to Tallahassee for regular and special sessions of the Florida Legislature. He joined the Sun-Sentinel in 2002 after covering state and local politics in Illinois. Like so many others in South Florida, he's originally from a New York suburb (Rockland County).

BRITTANY WALLMAN covers Broward County and news. A 1991 University of Florida graduate, Wallman started her journalism career at the Fort Myers News Press. She and her husband Bob Norman have two young children -- Creed and Lily. Wallman was born in Iowa and spent half her childhood there, the remainder in Oklahoma. She has covered local government and elections her entire reporting career -- including covering the infamous 2000 recount here in the presidential election. (She has a Mason jar with a "hanging chad'' inside to prove it.)

LARRY BARSZEWSKI covers Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors. In the past, he has reported on Palm Beach County government and schools, aging and social issues, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach and state legislative sessions. He wrote for the Denver Post, Bradenton Herald and Miami Herald before joining the Sun Sentinel in 1988. A Massachusetts native, he lives in Boca Raton with his wife, Maggie, and teenage daughters Jessica and Jackie.